Senator Jeanne Shaheen on National Leadership and Local Solutions

About This Episode

How can national and local leadership work together on solutions to our country’s biggest problems? Recorded in front of a live audience at the Music Hall Loft in Portsmouth, NH, Billy Shore welcomes Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Black Trumpet chef and owner Evan Mallett and Dondero Elementary School principal Kate Callahan for a lively discussion that considers issues from both national and local perspectives. Outspoken about the nation’s opioid crisis, Shaheen is leading efforts to get resources to local communities. “We’re not going to jail our way out of this epidemic - we’ve got to help people get the treatment they need to be successful,” she explains. Callahan sees first-hand the effects of the crisis on kids. “Housing has become more transient because of the opioid crisis. [Some students] come from a homeless shelter,” she says. Mallett helped start a job fair for people with addiction-based criminal records. “The idea is to introduce restaurants and farmers to candidates who need a second chance, and to hopefully restore their dignity through employment,” he says. Known for bringing civility and sophistication to public affairs, Shaheen is troubled by today’s political climate. “We have to be able to listen to each other and figure out how we can compromise and work together. We’ve got to make sure that our leaders are as good as our people in this country,” she stresses. Mallett believes one of his roles as a chef is to help facilitate civil discourse. “I feel like food is the ultimate democratizer and the ultimate way to have people sit down and have a conversation. Delivering the food and witnessing that exchange is a truly meaningful part of what I do,” he says. Get inspired by these three guests who demonstrate through their leadership the best America has to offer.